Game apparatus



No. 749,872. PATENTED JAN. 19, 1904.

J. S. MATHER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 24. 1902. N0 MODEL... 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. S. MATHER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 24. 1902.

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Patented January 19, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SI MATHER, on- ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAME APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION'formingpart of Letters Patent No. 749,872,dated January 19, 1904.

Application filed June 24, 1902. Serial No. 112,955. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. MATHER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates to game apparatus, and has for its principal objectto provide an apparatus for simulating the game of base-ball.

It consists in the parts and in the arrangement and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1is a plan View of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is'a plan view of the bottom board. Fig. 4is a vertical cross-section of the bottom board on the line 4 4 of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is a detail View of a base-cup and the means for manipulatingthe same, and Fig. 6 is a similar detail View of the base-cup at rightangles to the view of Fig. 5.

The body of my device comprises a bottom board 1, a false bottom 2,supported a Slight ward directionfrom the pitchers position to past thehome base, said groove being made wide and shallow near the home base.Mounted on the bottom board 1 and-projecting upwardly through holes 10and 11, provided therefor in the false bottom and in the cover,respectively, is a resilient piece 12, hereinafter termed a bat. Thisbat preferably consists of a piece of round resilient wire of reduceddiameter near its attachment to the bottom board. The false bottom isprovided with four holes 13, directly below the holes in the coverconforming to the position of of the base-cup.

There is an addi-' The false bottom is provided with the bases. Belowtheseholes 13 in the false bottom are cup-shaped pieces 14, supportedupon shanks or spindles 15,provided therefor. These shanks or spindlesextend through the side of the frames and are provided on their endswith handles or finger-pieces 16 in position to be easily manipulated bythe players. Each spindle is rotatably mounted in its bearings 17 whichare preferably suspended from the false bottom, and is also capable ofendwise movement therein. In order to return the spindle to its normalposition automatically, it is provided with a helical spring 18,fastened to it and to its support or bearings 17 and bearing at itsrespective ends against its support and a shoulder 19 on said spindle.By this arrangement the spring acts as a compression-spring to retractthe spindle to normal position when turned on its axis. The shoulder 19is arranged to abut against the support 17 and thus constitute alimiting stop for determining the longitudinal movement of the spindleand the normal position The base-cup is preferably secured to itsspindle by means of an arm 20, arranged radially of said spindle, thecup being secured in horizontal position at one end of said arm and theother end of said arm projecting laterally from said spindle and turnedup to abut against the under side of the false bottom. The tailpiece 21of the arm thus constitutes a limiting-stop for determining the normalangular position of the base-cup. The stops for the spindle are thus soarranged that the cups thereon normally rest in a horizontal positiondirectly below the respective base-openings in the cover. The cups beingthus eccentrically mounted on their spindles, as hereinbefore described,will be tilted upwardly when the spindles are turned against the forceof their springs, so that a ball in any cup will roll therefrom into thegroove leading to the next base.

The false bottom 2 has a number of holes 22 therein located to conformto the position of the fielders and short-stop, and the upper surface ofsaid false bottom is arranged to in cline toward these holes 22, andthere is an inclosing wall 23 or side extending upwardly from the falsebottom to the cover. The botdistance to prevent the rolling off of ballsin tom board has a groove extending around the border thereof withinconvenient reach of the players, and all portions of the bottom boardare inclined more or less toward this border groove. The bottom boardhas a wall extending upwardly at its margin a suflicient such groove.The inclination of the upper surface of the bottom board varies atdifferent locations, and preferably some locations are roughened orprovided with pins or other obstacles 26, suitable for retarding withoutstopping the progress of a rolling ball. This bottom plate is alsoprovided with grooves 27, extending at acomparatively steep inclinationfrom beneath the bases to the border groove 25. One of said grooves 27also extends. to said border groove from beneath a hole arranged in thefalse bottom in the position of the catcher and into which any ballsthat pass the bat will drop to be quickly recovered.

The operation of my device is as follows: Assume that there are twoplayers each provided with a set of balls colored red and blue,respectively, and that the red balls 30 represent the inside. Then theplayer who holds the blue balls 31 drops one of them in the hole at thepitchers stand and the other player manipulates the bat, so as to striketherewith the blue ball 31 as it rolls down the groove. The ball 31 isthus batted out into the field and rolls into one or the other of theholes 22 in the false bottom and thence drops through said hole onto thebase-board, over which it rolls into the border groove 25, where it maybe reached by its player and placed by him in any of the base-holeswhich the rules of the game suggest. As soon as the batter strikes theblue ball 31 he drops a red ball 30 into the hole 6 near the homeposition and the ball rolls down the groove 8 to the first base, whereit comes to rest in the basecup. In order to start the ball from onebase to another, all that is necessary is to turn the spindle on itsaxis by manipulating the fingerpiece 16. In this way several of thebases may be occupied at the same time each by its own ball. Thebase-holes in the cover are so arranged that when the base is occupiedby a ball another ball will not pass through the corresponding hole.When a ball of the outside occupies a base, it is recovered by pullingthe spindle endwise, whereby the ball is scraped ofi of said cup anddrops through the hole in the false bottom into a steep groove 27 in thebase-board leading to the border groove.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that the apparatus iscapable of closely simulating the ordinary game of base-ball, theseveral inclinations of the surface being arranged so that the timeoccupied by the ball in reaching the border groove corresponds to theforce of the batting blow and the direction in which it sends the ball,both of which are under the control of the player.

Obviously the apparatus hereinbefore described admits of considerablemodification without departing from my invention, and I do not wish torestrict myself to the said construction. For instance, the cover neednot be transparent, provided an opening be made of sufficient size topermit the batter to see the ball. So, too, the cover may be entirelyomitted, in which case the balls may be removed without providing anyspecial devices for the purpose.

What I claim is 1. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom havingholes arranged in inclined depressions in its upper surface and havingbases,

a cover having holes located above the bases,

and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, substantially as described.

2. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, substantially as described.

3. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, said bases being eccentrically mounted on rotatablespindles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4.. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, said bases being eccentrically mounted on rotatablespin-- dles and a spring for retracting each spindle substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

5. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, said bases being mounted on longitudinally-movablespindles, substantially as described.

6. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged indepressions in its upper surface and having downwardlyinclined groovesarranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of said diamond,a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base and a batarranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may be moved to thebat, said bases being mounted on longitudinally-movable spindles and aspring for retracting each spindle, substantially as described.

7. A game apparatus, comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged indepressions in its upper surface and having downwardlyinclined groovesarranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of said diamond,a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base, and a batarranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may be moved to thebat, said bases being mounted on spindles and each spindle being movablelongitudinally and rotatably, substantially as described.

8. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged indepressions in its upper surface and having downwardlyinclined groovesarranged in the form of a diamond and also extending from the pitchersbox to the home base, bases at the corners of said diamond, a coverhaving holes above said bases and near the home base and above thepitchers box, and a bat arranged for manipulation, said bases beingmounted on spindles and each spindle being movable rotatably andlongitudinally and a coiled spring fastened to said spindle and to thespindle-support respectively, substantially as described.

9. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may bemoved to the bat, and a bottom board having an inclined upper surface,substantially as described.

10. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby the ball may bemoved to the bat, and a bottom board having different portions of itssurface inclined toward its edges at different angles, substantially asdescribed.

11. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined depressions in its upper surface and having downwardly-inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base,and a bat arranged for manipulation and means whereby-a ball may bemoved to the bat, and a bottom board having difierent portions of itssurface inclined toward its edges at different angles and some of suchinclined portions having obstacles thereon, substantially as described.

12. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged ininclined de pressions in its upper surface and havingdownwardly-inclined grooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases atthe corners of said diamond, a cover having holes above said bases andnear the home base, and a bat arranged for manipulation and meanswhereby a ball may be moved to the bat, and abottom board having groovesinclining downwardly from beneath said base-holes toward its edge,substantially as described.

13. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged indepressions in its upper surface and having downwardlyinclined groovesarranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of said diamond,a cover having holes above said bases and near the home base, and a batarranged for manipulation and means whereby a ball may be moved to thebat, and a bottom board having a groove around its border and havinggrooves inclining downwardly from beneath said base-holes, toward itsedge, substantially as described.

14. A game apparatus comprising a raised bottom having holes arranged indepressions in its upper surface and having a downwardlyinclined grooveextending from the pitchers box to the bat and downwardly inclinedgrooves arranged in the form of a diamond, bases at the corners of saiddiamond, a cover having holes above said bases and above the pitchersbox and near the home base, and abat arranged for manipulation, and abottom board having a groove around its border and having groovesinclining downwardly from beneath said base-holes toward its bordergroove, substantially as described.

15. A game apparatus comprising a bottom board having its surfaceinclined, a false bottom arranged above said bottom board and havingholes therein and having its surface inclined toward said holesrespectively and having also inclined grooves in its upper surfacearranged in the form of a diamond, a cover having holes arranged abovethe upper ends of said grooves, and a bat arranged for manipulation andmeans for moving the ball to the bat, substantially as described.

St. Louis, Missouri, June 21, 1902. i

J. S. MATHER.

Witnesses:

JAMES A. CARR, ZOLA TUCKER.

